Casting mold and clamping means



March 21, 1967 s. FRIEDMAN CASTING MOLD AND CLAMPING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 1, 1964 March 21, 1967 s. FRlEDMAN CASTING MOLD AND CLAMPING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 1, 1964 Eli .1: 3

INVENTOR 5:) Z

ATTORNEY March 21, 1967 s. FRIEDMAN CASTING MOLD AND CLAMPING MEANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 1, 1964 N RNVENTOR 0f Him/111L217 United States Patent 3,3-9,738 Patented Mar. 21, 1967 3,309,738 CASTING MGLD AND CLAMPENG MEANS Sol Friedman, Ronald Drive, Monsey, N.Y. 10952 Filed Sept. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 393,601 1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 18-26) The present invention relates to a casting arrangement and more particularly to a casting arrangement which may be advantageously used as a toy and for forming cast toys such as cast animals, figurines, toy soldiers or the like.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a casting arrangement which is simple and safe to operate so that it may be used by a child.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a casting arrangement which may be produced in a simple and economical manner.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a further reading of the description and of the appended claim.

With the above and other objects in view, the toy casting arrangement of the present invention broadly comprises mold means for casting a molten molding composition of relatively low melting point, and heating means for melting the molding composition prior to casting of the same, the heating means including container means for holding the molding composition during melting of the same and for transferring molten molding composition to the casting means.

More particularly, the toy casting arrangement of the present invention comprises, in combination, mold means for casting a molten molding composition, having a relatively low melting point, the mold means comprising two mold portions formed of sheet material and adapted to be juxtaposed so as to define therebetween a mold cavity, the mold portions including plane edge portions adapted, respectively, to be superposed in contact with each other when the mold portions are in juxtaposed position, the mold means also including frame means for receiving the contacting edge portions and thereby maintaining the mold portions in juxtaposed position during casting of molding material in the mold cavity defined by the juxtaposed mold portions, melting means comprising heating means, a housing having a bottom portion formed with openings therethrough, a top portion above the heating means including an upwardly extending annular wall having an upper edge, and a perforated support means extending transversely within the annular wall downwardly spaced from the upper edge thereof, and cup-shaped transfer means for holding molding material and transferring the same in molten condition from the melting means to the mold means, the cup-shaped transfer means having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall of a maximum diameter smaller than the diameter of the annular wall and being adapted to be supported by the perforated support means, whereby upon activation of the heating means while the transfer means are supported by the support means, a stream of air will be formed rising from the openings in the bottom portion of the housing through the perforated support means upwardly inside the annular wall, the stream of air being heated by the heating means and in turn heating the cupshaped transfer means for melting molding material contained therein.

Thus, the present invention also contemplates a mold arrangement comprising, in combination, two mold portions formed of sheet material and adapted to be juxtaposed so as to define therebetween a mold cavity, the mold portions including plane edge portions adapted, respectively, to be superposed in contact with each other when the mold portions are in a juxtaposed position,

U-shaped frame means including a U-shaped inner edge face formed with a slot extending inwardly from the inner edge face for receiving the contacting edge portions and thereby maintaining the mold portions in juxtaposed position during casting of molding material in the mold cavity defined by the juxtaposed mold portions, and resilient means comprising a rigid member extending along the outer face of one of the mold portions and a resilient member attached to the rigid member and extending along the outer face of the other of the mold portions for pressing the two mold portions towards each other when the same are maintained in juxtaposed position.

In addition, the present invention is concerned with a heating arrangement for melting a molding composition prior to casting of the same, comprising, in combination, electric heating means including an electric bulb, a housing surrounding the electric bulb of" the heating means, the housing having a bottom portion formed with openings therethrough and a top portion above the heating means including an upwardly extending annular wall having an upper edge, a cup-shaped member having a flat bottom wall and a peripheral wall of a maximum diameter smaller than the diameter of the annular Wall, and perforated support means extending transversely within the annular wall downwardly spaced from the upper edge thereof in a horizontal direction for supporting the cup-shaped member, whereby upon activation of the heating means a stream of air will be formed rising from the openings in the bottom portion of the housing through the perforated support means upwardly inside the annular Wall, being heated by the heating means and in turn heating the cup-shaped member being supported by the perforated support means.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the toy casting arrangement of the present invention illustrating operation of the same;

FIG. 2 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the heating arrangement taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the mold arrangement forming part of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view of the mold arrangement taken along line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the mold arrangement taken along line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the heating arrangement of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the heating arrangement 1 comprises a housing 21 having a top portion 28 and surrounding between its bottom portion 23 and its top portion 28 electric heating means 22 including, in the illustrated embodiment, an electric bulb, for instance a 40 watt bulb.

All housing portions may be formed of a high melting plastic material such as polystyrene.

The top portion of the heating arrangement includes an upwardly extending annular wall 29 having an upper edge 30 and perforated support means 27 which extend transversely in horizontal direction within annular wall 29 downwardly spaced from the upperedge thereof.

A cup-shaped member 2 is provided having a fiat bottom wall 25 and a peripheral wall 26 of such dimensions that the cup-shaped member can be positioned within D annular wall 29 so as to be supported by the perforated support means 27 which being in the vicinity of the heating means, may be formed of heat resistant material of low heat conductivity.

Openings 24 are provided in the bottom of the housing.

The inner walls of the housing facing the heating means, may be covered with a light and heat reflecting coating or sheet material.

Upon placing a molding material 31 which has a low melting point and may be taken from bag 4, into cupshaped member 2, resting cup-shaped mem er 2 on the perforated support means 27, and actuating electric heating means 22, such as lighting the electric bulb, heat will be produced by the electric bulb and will cause an upward draft of air from the openings 24 in the bottom of the housing through the same and through the perforations of perforated support means 27, the air then flowing outwardly around side walls 26 of cup-shaped member 2. The air is heated while flowing past the electric bulb or the like and thus hot air will contact a part of the bottom wall and the side wall 25 of cup-shaped member 2, causing in turn heating of the contents of cup-shaped member 2, namely the low melting molding composition which may be a wax composition of animal or vegetable origin or a mineral wax or a wax-like substance such as a solid paraffin having a melting point, of for instance, 60 C.

It will be appreciated that only a relatively low degree of elevated temperature is required to melt such wax or wax-like substance having a melting point of, for instance, between 50 and 70 C. and thus the heating arrangement can be operated without endangering the person, such as a child, who is operating the same.

Cup-shaped member 2 may be covered (not illustrated) during melting of the wax-like substance therein.

Once the wax-like substance in cup-shaped member 2 has been molten, the thus formed molten molding composition is poured from cup-shaped member 2 into mold arrangement 3.

The mold arrangement 3 comprises two mold portions 41 and 42 which may be formed of suitable sheet material such as a synthetic plastic which, of course, must have a. melting point considerably higher than the melting point of the molding composition, for instance polystyrene.

The two mold portions 41 and 42 are adapted to be juxtaposed so as to define therebetween a mold cavity 49 and the two mold portions include plane edge portions 43 and 44 which will be in contact with each other when the mold portions are in juxtaposed positions.

A frame 45 is provided including a base 51 and a U- shaped portion 56 having a U-shaped inner edge face formed with a slot 46 adapted to receive the contacting plane edge portions 43 and 44 of mold portions 41 and 42 so that the mold cavity 49 into which the molten molding material is to be poured will be formed when the two mold portions 41 and 42 are inserted with their contacting plane edge portions 43 and 44 into slot 46 of U-shaped portion 50 of frame 45.

In order to further assure that during casting the mold portions 41 and 42 will remain in juxtaposed position so as to define the mold cavity there-between and so that the edge portions 43 and 44 will contact each other, a holding arrangement 4748 is provided which comprises a rigid member 47 which maybe placed along one outer face of the contacting mold portions and along the corresponding face of the U-shaped portion 50 of frame 45. This rigid member 47 preferably extends in horizontal direction and extends outwardly of the two arms of U- shaped portion 50. The two opposite outer end portions of rigid member 47 are formed with slots 52, and an endless resilient member 48 such as a rubber band, or as illustrated, a plurality of such members, are placed into corresponding opposite slots 52, respectively, so that the resilient member will be located along the outer face of the rigid member and along the other free face of the contacting mold portions and the corresponding face of the U-shaped frame member. Thus, the juxtaposed mold portions with their contacting edges inserted in slot 46 will be surrounded by the resilient member such as a rubber band 48 which presses on one face of the mold the rigid member against the same and on the opposite face the resilient rubber band or rubber bands will exert counterpressure and thereby assure that the contacting mold portions will remain in contact with each other and the mold cavity will thus be properly defined.

For better alignment of the two mold portions 41 and 42, the same are provided with tongue element 53 and groove element 54 preferably of U-shaped configuration. Since the entire mold portions 41 and 42, respectively, are made of sheet material, the tongue and groove arrangement may be formed therein by means of the same ie which is used to deform the sheet material, for instance a polystyrene sheet, for forming the respective portion or half of the mold cavity therein.

Upon then pouring the molten molding composition into mold cavity 49 of the assembled mold and subsequent cooling which may be carried out by placing the entire mold into cold water, the molding material will be cooled below its melting point and will solidify in the mold.

Thereafter, the mold is disassembled by first removing the resilient holding means 47, 48 and then sliding the juxtaposed mold portions 41 and 42 out of slot 46. The mold portions are then easily separated and the toy soldier, animal or other object cast of the wax or wax-like composition of relatively low melting point can be removed from the mold in this manner.

It will be appreciated that the melting and casting can be carried out with the arrangement of the present invention in a particularly simple and safe manner, inasmuch as the bulb of the electric heating means is surrounded by the housing so that it cannot be touched by the operator and only air heated by streaming past the bulb and to a limited degree radiant heat from the bulb will cause heating of the cup-shaped member holding the low melting wax-like molding composition. The molding composition obviously cannot be heated to a temperature higher than that imparted to the walls of the cup-shaped member and, in fact, need be heated only to a temperature equal to or slightly above the relatively low melting point of the molding composition. This melting point preferably will be sufiiciently low so that inadvertent contact of the operator with the molten wax or the like will not expose the operator to dangerously high temperatures.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of safety casting arrangements differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a toy casting arrangement fo casting a molten molding composition having a relatively low melting point, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claim.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A mold arrangement, comprising, in combination, two mold portions formed of sheet material and adapted to be juxtaposed so as to define therebetween a mold cavity, said mold portions including plane edge portions adapted,

respectively, to be superposed in contact with each other when said mold portions are in a juxtaposed position; U-shaped frame means including a U-shaped inner edge face formed with a slot extending inwardly from said inner edge face for receiving said contacting edge portions and thereby maintaining said mold portions in juxtaposed position during casting of molding material in said mold cavity defined by said juxtaposed mold portions; and resilient means comprising a rigid member extending along the outer face of one of said mold portions and a resilient member attached to said rigid member and extending along the outer face of the other of said mold portions for pressing said two mold portions towards each other when the same are maintained in juxtaposed position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,375,660 4/1921 Kilborn 18-43 2,305,071 12/ 1942 Fahlrnan 249-16O 2,981,977 5/1961 Fannen 18-43 3,056,166 10/ 1962 Weinberg 249-163 X 10 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

E. MAR, Assistant Examiner. 

